December 13, 1937 - Nanjing Massacre Begins After Japanese Capture of the City

On December 13, 1937, you're looking at one of history's darkest days. Japanese forces breached Nanjing's walls after just four days of fierce fighting, entering a city already abandoned by its government. What followed was six weeks of systematic mass murder, sexual violence, looting, and arson targeting hundreds of thousands of civilians. Death toll estimates range from 50,000 to 300,000 victims. Keep scrolling, and the full, documented story awaits you.

Key Takeaways

• On December 13, 1937, four Japanese divisions totaling approximately 50,000 men breached Nanjing's defenses and entered the city by nightfall.
• Japanese forces had demanded surrender on December 9; when no envoy appeared, the final assault was ordered at 1300 hours.
• A six-week campaign of violence against civilians began immediately after Japanese soldiers entered Nanjing on December 13.
• The IMTFE estimated over 100,000 deaths, with broader estimates ranging up to 300,000 across Nanjing and surrounding counties.
• Sexual violence was catastrophic, with the IMTFE estimating at least 20,000 rapes occurring within the first month of occupation.

How Japan Captured Nanjing in Just Four Days

Japan's advance on Nanjing began immediately after its capture of Shanghai in November 1937, with exhausted Chinese troops failing to hold their positions. Kunshan fell within two days, the Wufu defensive line collapsed by November 19, and the Xicheng Line crumbled by November 26.

These defensive failures set the stage for rapid urban collapse.

Japanese forces reached Nanjing's walls on December 9, demanding surrender within 24 hours. When no envoy appeared, General Matsui and Prince Asaka ordered the attack at 1300 hours.

Despite Chinese pillboxes and tankettes slowing the advance, Japan's superior firepower overwhelmed the defenders. By nightfall on December 13, four Japanese divisions totaling roughly 50,000 men had entered the city, declaring victory after just four days of intense fighting. The Japanese Tenth Army had also drawn up contingency plans involving intensive aerial bombing with incendiary bombs and mustard-gas canisters in the event the initial assault failed.

The Chinese defense was further undermined by the departure of Chiang Kai-shek, who fled Nanjing by plane on December 7, leaving the city's civilian administration largely in the hands of an international committee headed by German businessman John Rabe.

What Happened to Civilians During the Nanjing Massacre?

Once Japanese soldiers entered Nanjing, they unleashed a campaign of violence against civilians that lasted six weeks.

You'd find bodies littered across streets, as soldiers shot anyone who fled or matched their arbitrary criteria for suspected combatants. Rickshaw coolies, laborers, firefighters, and Buddhist burial workers were marched away and executed. Civilian survival became nearly impossible under these conditions.

Sexual violence compounded the urban trauma, with between 20,000 and 80,000 rape cases documented against women of all ages, including children and the elderly. Soldiers systematically looted homes, torching one-third of the city through deliberate arson campaigns.

Approximately 20,000 civilian men were falsely accused of military involvement and killed. Diaries from Japanese commanders and soldiers, including entries from Kesago Nakajima, recorded explicit orders of complete annihilation issued against prisoners and civilians alike.

International Military Tribunal records confirmed the staggering scale of atrocities committed throughout the occupation. The massacre left an enduring legacy on Chinese society, with December 13 observed annually as a national day of mourning.

How Many People Died in the Nanjing Massacre?

Determining the exact death toll of the Nanjing Massacre remains one of history's most contested scholarly debates. Victim estimates vary dramatically depending on geographic scope and timeframe. Within Nanjing's city walls, reliable figures place deaths around 50,000, primarily within the first five days. Bob Wakabayashi's analysis of Japanese Army records confirms at least 46,215 victims in the opening weeks alone.

Historiographical debates divide scholars into distinct camps. Hata's conservative estimates range from 38,000 to 42,000, while mainstream historians like Kasahara argue 160,000 to 170,000. The IMTFE concluded over 100,000 victims, and Britannica cites estimates reaching 300,000. Most mainstream historians accept 100,000 to 200,000 total deaths across Nanjing and surrounding counties over three months, making this one of World War II's most devastating atrocities. Scholars also disagree on who should be counted, with some limiting victims to civilians and disarmed POWs while others include soldiers not actively resisting, such as retreating troops who were fired upon.

The atrocities were carried out under the command of Matsui Iwane, who ordered the destruction of Nanjing and was later tried and executed for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

How Many Women Were Raped During the Nanjing Massacre?

Sexual violence during the Nanjing Massacre reached catastrophic proportions, with the IMTFE estimating at least 20,000 rapes in the first month of occupation alone. Rape estimates vary widely, ranging from 4,000 to over 80,000 cases, though most scholars settle around 20,000. Iris Chang's research cited 20,000 to 80,000 rapes within just six weeks.

Victim demographics reveal the full brutality of these crimes. Japanese soldiers targeted women and girls of all ages, from infants to elderly women. Men and teenage boys weren't spared either, with reports of forced sodomy and other acts.

Soldiers conducted systematic door-to-door searches, capturing women for gang rapes that sometimes occurred up to twenty times daily per victim. Most victims were subsequently murdered to eliminate witnesses. The broader massacre claimed the lives of approximately 300,000 people out of the 600,000 civilians and soldiers present in the city.

Many survivors of the sexual violence suffered lasting psychological trauma, with depression and suicides reported among raped women in the aftermath of the occupation.

Who Was Held Responsible for the Nanjing Massacre?

Accountability for the Nanjing Massacre fell primarily on two men: General Matsui Iwane and Foreign Minister Hirota Kōki. Neither was physically present during the killings, yet both faced prosecution before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in 1946.

Matsui's command responsibility proved decisive. The tribunal determined he knew atrocities were occurring, held authority over the responsible Army, and deliberately failed to stop them. He's convicted under Count 55 for negligently disregarding his legal duty to protect civilian lives.

Deeper imperial sanction traces back to Emperor Hirohito, who ratified orders on August 5, 1937, removing international law protections for Chinese prisoners. Despite this, prosecution deliberately avoided implicating the Imperial Family.

Matsui was executed on December 23, 1948, at Sugamo Prison. As commanding general of the Japanese Central China Front Army, he had issued the orders that led to mass executions, widespread looting, and the burning and destruction of more than a third of Nanjing's buildings.

The Tokyo War Crimes Trial, which ran from May 3, 1946 to November 12, 1948, produced over 50,000 pages of court records across more than 800 sessions, documenting in exhaustive detail the full scope of Japanese wartime atrocities.